BOX OF EXPECTATIONS

Imagine if you were asked to NOT do the following for one day:

Lie (white and omission included)

Criticize (even internally)

Judge (privacy of your own thoughts included)

Gossip

Steal (stealing is stealing no matter how big or small)

Cheat (in all sense of the word)

Cuss or blaspheme

Sexually desire (with ANYONE other than a spouse)

Etc.

We are all born sinners because of Adam and Eve's fall from God's grace.  Small wonder some of us think that there is no need to try to fight sin and avoid it no matter what the consequence and go as far as to say well everyone sins and worse, compare and justify them based on the gravity of each sin.

BIG MISTAKE.  When we are born, we are born alone.  When we die, we will die alone.  When we see the face of God, our Maker, we will be judged individually, not as a family, a group, etc. and our sins will not be measured and compared with the next person.  Is it now starting to dawn on you that we are responsible for our own actions?  A good phrase comes to mind when my mother used to say, “If she jumped off a cliff would you jump too?”  It sounds cliche but it’s true. 

Some people look at Christians this way.  They think that just because someone is a professed Christian that they should walk around with a glowing halo on their head.  As a matter of fact, when one calls themselves a Christian, they are automatically held at a higher expectation of responsibility merely due to the label.  People are quick to judge when a Christian publicly falls from grace and associate that automatically as hypocrisy and therefore an excuse to shun their own chance of looking at their own relationship with God because, “it doesn’t work.”  I sympathize with such person when I hear this.  I wonder why anyone would try to hinge their own salvation to the failure of another.  It is, at the very least a surrender to the effortless or even sinful life they choose to live.

To be clear, I would not rather be labeled a Christian for any other reason except being born again in Christ.  I know that as a sinner, I could never stop doing any one of the above, not even for one day, because aside from the fact that I know God is so quick with His mercy will forgive me for just about ANYTHING, I would not want to be the reason for anyone to use an imperfect person like me to lose their chance with a relationship with God.  My testimony alone and my life purpose should be enough for someone to realize that everyday is a struggle to rebuke sin.  That is why God is so merciful, so quick to forgive because He understands and loves us enough to give us a chance to start over.  He has an unending supply of mulligans.  I do NOT by any means stop trying though.  It is harder to be good than bad, but the effort of being obedient to God and to his laws are always rewarded with blessings and grace.  Why would anyone choose to then miss out on that?

Until my next rant…. LOVE ONE ANOTHER!